Fabric-racking machine.



PATBNTED JUNE 1 1903.

H. BITTNER.

' FABRIG BACKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 1902.

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110 MODEL.

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PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

H. BITTNER. FABRIC BACKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 1902.

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N0 MODEL.

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PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

H. BITTNER. FABRIC BACKING MACHINE. APPLIOATION nun MAY 2a. 1902. 10101121.. 3 sums-sum a.

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UNITED ST TES Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FABRIC-BACKING MACHINE.

iSPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,014, dated June 16, 1903.- Application filed May 28, 1902. Serial No. 109,385- (No model.)

T at whom, may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT BITTNER, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Vienna, in the Province of Lower- Austria and Empire of Austria -I-Iungary, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fabric-Racking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means by which the warp-threads of woven fabrics, more especially silk fabrics, can be uniformly distributed over the breadth of the fabric, as fabrics freshly coming from the 100111 always present portions in which the warp-threads are moreor less crowded and other portions in which the said threads are more or less scattered.

The invention has for its purpose to provide a machine adapted to uniformly distribute the warp-threads in whole pieces of fabric by a suitable treatment progressing from end to end.

According to the invention the machine comprises means for intermittently advancing the fabric in the direction of its warpthreads and two pairs of jaws arranged crosswise to the direction in which the fabric moves and in such a manner that one jaw of each pair is located above the fabric and the other jaw below the fabric, the said jaws be-,

ing combined with mechanism bywhich they are caused to move toward each other and jam the fabric while the same in the course of its intermittent advance is at a standstill and afterward to oscillate in opposite directions in the direction of their lengths. Besides the oscillatory movement just referred to one pair of jaws also has imparted to it an oscil Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 an end elevation, of a fabric-racking machine of the nature referred to above. Fig. 3 shows, on

an enlarged scale, a par tly-sectional elevation of the ends of a pair of pinching-jaws. Fig. 4 is in its left-hand half a cross-section on the linelV IV of Fig. 3 of the one pair of jaws and in its right-hand half a cross-section through.

the middle of the other pair of jaws. Figs. 5 and 6.sl1ow in front elevation and crosssection on line VI VI of Fig. 5, respectively, the device by means of which the one pair of jaws are enabled to oscillate in the direction perpendicular to their lengths.

In Fig. 1 it will be seen that the fabric 1 to be racked unrolls from the cloth-beam 2,

whose shaft carries a brake-disk 3, partly surrounded by the friction-cord 4. The fabric passes under a guide-bar 5 and thence between the rubber jaws 6 (5, which are by the vulcanizing process secured to iron bars 7 These iron bars 7 are dovetailed to the castiron carriers 9 and have projecting brackets 7 7 Figs. 3 and 4, through the slots of which passthe set-screws 8, which engage screwthreaded holes of the carriers 9 and by means of which these iron bars 7 can be adjusted in their cast-iron carriers 9. The lower carriers 9 have their ends resting upon bars 10, bolted to the machine frame 11, and are secured against vertical displacement by means of yokes 12. q p are pivoted at 13 to a bracket 78, projecting Bymeans of the levers 14, which from-the machine-frame 11, the said lowerjaw carriers 9 are connected with push-bars '15, the ends of which are adjustable in slots 16 of the levers 14. The right-hand lever 14, Fig. 4, is connected with the corresponding lower-j aw carrier 9 by means of a pin 7 9, passing through a projection 80, Fig. 2, of this jaw-carrier 9 and a longitudinal slot in the end of the lever 14. The left-hand lower-jaw carrier 9, Fig. 4, has a block 81, loosely inserted in a corresponding recess of its under side, through which block passes the pin 79,

engaging the longitudinal slot in the end of the lever 14. By means ofthis device the lefthand pair of jaws are enabled .to accommo-' date themselves to the. oscillating movement in the direction perpendicular to their lengths, as the lower-j aw carrier 9 is thereby permitted to slide 011 the block 81. The heads 17 of the push-bars embrace the crank-pins 1S and 19, respectively, of two cranks 20 and 21. These cranks are distant from each other one ICO hundred and eighty degrees, and the crank 21 is simply secured to the crank-pin 18 of the crank 20. When the crankshaft, is rotated, the two lower-jaw carriers 9 are consequently oscillated lengthwise in opposite directions. Pins 22, which are screwed into the lower-jaw carriers 9, pass through corresponding holes of the upper-jaw carriers, thereby guiding this latter in their vertical displacements and causing them to partake in the oscillatory movement of the lower-jaw carriers. The oscillatory movement perpendicularly to the described one which is to be imparted to the first pair of jaws is eifected by means of a cam 23, keyed to the shaft 24, driven from the main driving-shaft 50 by means of the cogwheels 58 and 59,-the intermediate shaft 74, and the cog-wheels 75 and 7 6. The said cam 23 acts on a roller 25 at the free end of a leverarm 26, which by means of a rod 28, acted upon by a coiled spring 27, transmits the movement to a lever 29. The top end of the said lever 29 is by means of the two links 30 and 31 connected with the pin 22. It will be readily understood that the parts 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 are arranged at either side of the machine and that by them the left hand pair of jaws, Figs. 1 and 4, are alternately moved forward and backward. It has already been explained that this movement is rendered possible, notwithstanding the connection between the oscillating lever 14 and the jaw-carrier 9, by jointing the upper end of the lever 14 to a block 81, adapted to slide in a recess of the carrier 9.

By means of the coiled springs 32 the upper-j aw carriers 9 are constantly forced downward, with the tendency to keep the upper and lower jaws 6 6 in contact with one another. The ends of the upper-j aw carriers 9 rest upon cross-bars 33, adapted to be raised and lowered in guides along the standards 35. By adownwardly-extending rod 36 each crossbar 33 is connected with one end of a twoarmed lever 37, pivoted at 38 and having its other end provided with an antifriction-roller 39, acted upon by a cam 40, which is also carried by the shaft 24. By the spring 41 eX- erting its pressure upon the lever 37 the roller 39 is kept in contact with the cam 40. It will thus be seen that when the cam 40 revolves the upper-j aw carriers will alternately be raised and lowered. 1

The regular succession of the movements described is obtained by means of the cam 42, having a stepped face, upon which slides the antifriction-roller 44, carried by a rod 43. The said rod 43 is suitably guided at 45, and by a spring 46 it is permanently so influenced as to keep the roller 44 in contact with the cam 42. The rod 43 also carries two arms 47 and 48, the first of which is forked and em braces the sleeve of the clutch 49 upon the main driving-shaft 50. The second arm, 48,

forms one arm of a two-armed lever, the other arm, 51., of which embraces the sleeve of a clutch 52 upon the shaft 53. hen the roller 44 is in contact with the highest step of the cam 42, the clutch 52 is out of gear, while the clutch 49 is in gear, and the crank 20 is driven by means of the bevel-wheels 54 and 55,whereby the jaw-carriers 9 are oscillated lengthwise. At the same time the cam 40 has such a position that the upper jaws are permitted to occupy their lowest position under the action of the springs 32, so that consequently the fabric is jammed. The cam 23 revolves, whereby the first pair of jamming-jaws are oscillated forward and backward. Afterward the medium step of the cam 42 passes under the roller 44, whereby the clutch 49, too, is thrown out of gear and the jaws are stopped. When the lowest step of the cam 42 is in contact with the roller 44, as shown in the drawings, the clutch 52 upon the shaft 53 is thrown into gear, and thereby the shaft of the clothtransporting roller 56is rotated as the toothed wheel 57, rigidly connectedwith the sleeve of the clutch, is continuously driven from the shaft 50 by means of the toothed wheels 58, 59, and 60. At the'same time the cam 40 has the position shown in the drawings, in consequence whereof the roller 39 of the lever 37 is in its lowest position and the cross-bar 33, carried by the rod 36, in its highest'position, so that the upper jaws are lifted off the fabric. Consequently the fabric is drawn forward by the transporting-roller 56, against which it is pressed by the roller 61. The shafts of the two rollers 56 and 61 have their bearings formed in standards 62, wherein the bearings of the upper shaft are adjustable, so that by means of the hand-wheels 63 and bevel-gears 64 65 the roller 61 can be suitably pressed onto the roller 56. v

The length of fabric carried along by the two rollers 56and 61 rolls around the clothreceiving beam 66, which is continuously driven by means of the belt-pulley 69, mounted upon the main driving-shaft by the side of the fast and loose pulleys 67 and 68, respectively, the belt-pulley 71, mounted on the shaft of the beam, and the belt 70. While the fabric is jammed by the jaws 6 the belt .70 slides around the pulley 71. As soon as the medium step of the cam 42 begins to act upon the roller 44 the clutch of the fabric-transporting roller-shaft is thrown out of gear. By the highest step of the cam 42 getting into contact with the roller 44 the clutch 49 in the gearing actuating the cranks 20 and 21 is thrown into gear again, and consequently the jaws are oscillated, while at the same time the cam 23 causes the pair of. jaws appearing at the left side in Fig. 1 to move backward.

The second pair of jaws are prevented from moving forward and backward by means of rods 72, adapted to swing around vertical pivots 73 and having the heads at their other ends embracing the pins 22 of the said jaws.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a fabric-racking machine, the combination with mechanism for intermittingly IIO' moving a piece of fabric lengthwise of two pairs of jaws so arranged that one jaw of each pair faces one side of the fabric and the other jaw the other side, and mechanism for so operating the said pairs of jaws that they jam the fabric while the intermittingly-moving fabric is at a standstill, oscillate crosswise to the fabric in opposite directions, and stop and open when the fabric resumes its advance, substantially as described.

2. In a fabric-racking machine the combination with mechanism for intermittingly advancing a piece of fabric in the direction of its warp-threads, of two pairs of rubber-coated jamming-jaws, so arranged that the fabric passes between the two jaws forming each pair, mechanism for closing the jaws every time the fabric ceases moving and opening the jaws before the fabric moves again, and mechanism for oscillating, while the fabric is at a standstill, the pairs of closed jaws crosswise to the length of the fabric in opposite directions, substantially as described.

3. In a fabric-racking machine, the combination with mechanism for intermittingly moving a fabric lengthwise, of two pairs of jaws adapted to jam the fabric crosswise along two lines a certain distance apart, and mechanism for closing the jaws every time the fabric ceases moving and opening the jaws before the fabric resumes its advance, for oscillating both pairs of closed jaws in opposite directions, crosswise to the warp-threads, and also for oscillating one pair of jaws in the direction of the said threads, substantially as described.

4. In a fabric-racking machine, the combination with mechanism for intermittingly moving a fabric lengthwise, of two pairs of jamming-jaws, each pair consisting of a jaw adapted to be moved toward the other jaw of the pair on one side of the fabric and a jaw not admitting of such movement on the other side thereof, springs for permanently pressing the jaws admitting of displacement toward the other jaws, mechanism adapted to withdraw the spring-controlled jaws from'the other jaws every time the fabric is to move, and release the spring-controlled jaws when the fabric ceases moving, and mechanism adapted to oscillate the closed jaws crosswise to the direction of the warp-threads, substantially as described;

In witness whereof I have signed this specification in presence of two witnesses.

HUBER'D BITTNER.

Witnesses:

VICTOR KERPL, ALVESTO S. HOGUE. 

